This invention relates to containers and, more particularly, to a thermal baby bottle where a nipple cover can be secured to the bottle and material may be added and removed which further affects the thermal characteristic of the baby bottle.
Conventional baby bottles typically have a single wall defining the bottle. When the liquid inside the bottle is warm, this single wall configuration generally does not retain heat well and likewise when the liquid inside the bottle is cold, does not retain cold well. Recent inventions have resulted in development of bottles with insulated walls where a minimum of two layers of material define the insulated walls of the bottle. An insulating material in these recent inventions, disposed therebetween the minimum two layers which define the wall of the bottle, have been either air and/or an insulation material.
FIG. 1 depicts a prior art embodiment of an insulated bottle. As illustrated the bottle 10 has a two layer wall, specifically an outer body wall 12 and an inner body wall 13. The outer body wall 12 defines a shape of the thermal bottle 5. The outer wall 12 has a top opening 15 and a bottom end 16. The inner body wall 13 has an inner volume 17 for a storage area which is disposed within the inner body wall 13 and is accessible through the top opening 15. The inner body wall 13 is selectively connected to the outer body wall 12. A material, such as but not limited to a liquid, is placed within the inner wall. A thermal area 20 is defined therebetween the outer body wall 12 and the inner body wall 13. Either air and/or an insulation material may be placed therebetween the inner wall 13 and the outer wall 12. A ring cap 22 is provided.
Disposed therethrough the ring cap 22 is a nipple 24. Beneath the nipple 24 is a seal disk 26 which prevents a liquid within the inner wall 13 from reaching the nipple 24 and possibly releasing from the nipple 22 when the bottle 5 is not being used. To protect the nipple 24, such as but not limited to remaining sanitized, a nipple cover, or cover 30, is provided. The cover 30 is attachable and detachable from the bottle wall 12, 13 and/or ring cap 22.
Even though a thermal bottle usually provides for a cover to protect the nipple, when the cover is removed there is no location on the thermal bottle to secure the cover. Manufacturers and users of thermal bottles would benefit from a thermal bottle design that further provides for securing a cover when the cover is removed.